Good morning,

Many thanks for expressing your interest in attending our celebration of the 70th anniversary of the

1949 Act of Parliament that established the National Parks. We are looking forward to seeing you on

the 22nd March in the Peak District. Below you will find important information regarding the day.

Timings are as follows:

10.00 We’ve put on a minibus shuttle service that will make trips from the nearby Hathersage train station and drop you off at Castleton Visitor Centre. Each minibus can take a limited number, including some spaces for wheelchair users so please make us aware if you are planning to use this service. The shuttle bus will be running from Hathersage from 10.00 until 10.40.

11.00 Make your way to the National Park Visitor Centre in Castleton to meet our friendly stewards and hear the exciting plans for the day. Refreshments will be available to purchase at the Visitor Centre and nearby shops and cafes.

11.20 We start our walk in Castleton, one of the most beautiful villages in the Peak District. We will make our way up the old road around Mam Tor and there will be filming and photo opportunities along the walk. This fascinating walk will offer views of the beautiful Hope Valley as well as important heritage sites and traditional farmed landscapes.

12.00 We will have a brief break at the end of the old road with further photo opportunities. At the end of this break the Party will split into two with one group making a steep ascent on unpaved paths to the historic Hollins Cross. This will offer spectacular views of the Edale Valley including Kinder Scout but will not be suitable for everyone. The other group will follow some of our fantastic guides to the Peak Cavern where we have arranged a special tour of the Caves and a demonstration in rope making. This is accessible for all. Both activities will include photo and filming.

13.30 onwards

Everyone to join us at YHA Losehill Hall for a reception celebrating the day.

14.00 Lunch buffet served!

14.15 Hear from speakers Crispin Truman (CEO of CPRE), Yvonne Witter (Peak District Mosaic) and James Blake (CEO of YHA) about the extraordinary history of the National Parks movement.

15.00 onwards

A shuttle service will begin a service between YHA Losehill Hall and Hathersage Station.

Location and getting there

We look forward to seeing you at 11.00 at the Castleton National Park Visitor Centre, Buxton Rd,

Castleton, Hope Valley S33 8WN. From there we will proceed with a walk including special photo and

filming opportunities.

We hope as many of you as possible will use public transport to join us. This area is well serviced by

frequent buses as well as the nearby Hope train station which has fairly regular trains coming from

Manchester and Sheffield.

To make travel to the event easier we have put on a shuttle service for train passengers from

Hathersage Station, which is an accessible train station, to the start of the event. This service will

start at 10.00 and go on to 10.40. For further information about Hathersage Station please follow

this link: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/hsg/details.html

Room on this shuttle service is limited and includes some spaces for wheelchair users – however we

will need to accommodate this in advance. Please get in contact if you intend to use this service and

require a wheelchair-friendly space.

There are also ample parking opportunities for those using a car or car share to get to the event.

There is free parking at YHA Losehill Hall (a 15-minute walk from Castleton Visitor Centre). We have

also arranged free parking for disabled users at the Castleton Playing Fields (Hollowfield Road),

which is a shorter distance to the visitor centre along a single track road. There is further parking in

Castleton including pay-and-display parking at the Visitor Centre itself.

A shuttle service will operate from 15.00 from Losehill Hall (where the day ends), allowing you to get

back to trains departing from Hathersage for Manchester or Sheffield.

A day of celebrations

We have designed a special walk so that as many people as possible can join us on this unique

occasion. You can see the route below.

Part of this route (highlighted in purple) will see participants follow an old paved road around Mam

Tor – mother hill. On this section, participants can witness the extraordinary geology and geographic

features of the hill, important historic sites and views of the beautiful Hope Valley. This part of the

walk will be suitable for most people. Further information about the conditions for this part of the

walk can be found here: https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/miles-without-stiles/mam-tor-

landslip

At this point there will be a break and further photo opportunities. We have then designed two

different walks.

Part of the group will head up to the top of the historic Hollins Cross, offering brilliant views of both

the Hope and Edale Valleys. This part of the walk is more challenging and includes steep unpaved

stretches which can be muddy and slippery.

This walk will not be suitable for everyone. So we are offering an alternative experience to those

with limited mobility. A special private tour of the Peak Cavern or the ‘Devils Arse’ will also include a

traditional rope making demonstration and further photo and filming opportunities. Information on

the walk to the Peak Cavern can be found here: https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/miles-

without-stiles/castleton-peak

All walkers will then return to YHA Losehill Hall, Squires Ln, Hope Valley S33 8WB where festivities

will continue. This will include speeches, lunch, tea and cake (we hope!).

Throughout the day we will be drawing on the extraordinary history of those who campaigned

before us and fought for the National Parks. We hope to be able to update a number of historic

photographs from the 1930s and 40s – if you have pictures of the National Parks from this period we

would love to see them.

Before you come!

In parts these walks might be challenging and walkers should be prepared for adverse conditions.

You should wear proper walking gear and bring or buy locally any refreshments you may need.

Please do let us know if you do not wish to partake in photography and filming occurring on the day

– please make stewards aware of this on the day too.

We do hope you will join us for what promises to be a special day!

Please RSVP or send further questions to Andrew Hall

andrew@cnp.org.uk